About NaturalNano, Inc.

Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but I can't help but think Dante had Natural Nano in mind when he penned this line, "Abandon hope all ye who enter here" in his immortal work, The Inferno.

Maybe Natural Nano's founder, Mr. Michael Weiner, can tell us whether the gates to Hell really have that inscription when he gets there, which he most assuredly will one day (although I gather he's made a good recovery from his expensive back surgery and is back at the helm of his shiny new yacht).

NaturalNano Inc. is based in Rochester, New York and was founded in 2004 to discover, refine, and commercialize naturally occurring nanoscale materials.

At least that's what they tell us, but it must be said they haven't done a particularly good job of it so far.

But hope springs eternal. At least it does for some folk, but as Upton Sinclair would have it:

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

In fraud alerts issued Friday by both the Better Business Bureau and the AARP Fraud Watch Network, experts said they'd uncovered a range of schemes targeting people looking for Ebola news, cures and ways to help. The disease has killed an estimated 4,500 people primarily in Africa and is now showing up in several cities around the globe.

"Scammers prey on fears during the worst of circumstances, and the Ebola crisis is no different," said Kristin Keckeisen, director of the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

Some of the newly discovered Ebola scams: Emails that purport to supply the latest news on the Ebola crisis actually link to malware sites that infect your computer with viruses. Bogus charities that claim to aid Ebola victims, but are either fake or direct only a fraction of contributions to the stated cause.Sales of "personal protection kits" and or "natural cures" for the disease, with the products often sold over websites that peddle conspiracy theories. Stock scams that promote questionable companies supposedly working on cures or products that will prevent spread of the disease.

Although there are legitimate companies developing Ebola drugs and making hazmat suits, investors should beware. Most are early-stage companies with thinly traded stocks. Investing in these enterprises is, at best, a long-shot.

Consider, for example, Lakeland Industries, a small New York maker of protective clothing. The company's shares, which had been trading at around $5 apiece for years, quadrupled after a Texas hospital admitted its first Ebola patient. However, the company has lost money for the past three years, with little to support the share price. Without panic-inducing news, the stock was down almost 20 percent on Friday.

The best advice for not falling prey to Ebola-related scams is familiar:

Don't click on email social media links from unknown senders, particularly if they promise "shocking" news that you haven't heard before.

Make sure your computer security software is updated. It should warn you if you visit a site that's loaded with malware.

Investigate charities before you write a check. All charities legally operating in the U.S. must file forms with the Internal Revenue Service and should be willing to provide you with their so-called 990 report. This shows how much the charity collects and how it spends its money. If a charity is unwilling or unable to provide these details, walk away.

Also realize that well-established groups, such as Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, World Vision and Mercy Corps have established networks around the globe and are in the best position to know how to help. New charities, no matter how well meaning, may not be able to address the crisis as effectively as those that are already up and running.